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Like I did with my first-ever publicly posted NBA 2K Franchise Blog (Denver Nuggets), I’m taking my latest Madden NFL franchise mode to this website, rather than Google Drive or […]
Like I did with my first-ever publicly posted NBA 2K Franchise Blog (Denver Nuggets), I’m taking my latest Madden NFL franchise mode to this website, rather than Google Drive or Apple Notes as I’ve used in the past. I’ve been doing this kind of thing, using one of those methods mentioned, for ten-to-fifteen years, as I’ve had an obsession with tracking my franchise stats.
Note, this will be played on Madden NFL 2024 (a two-year old game at this point) with a customer user roster used to update to 2025 rosters… for the most part. The roster was built after the initial wave of free agency and the 2025 NFL Draft. I made sure to include running back J.K. Dobbins on the roster as well, in addition to making sure Bo Nix had an up-to-date rating (Nix is rated a 79 OVR heading in to the 2025-26 season, my tweaks actually resulted in an 81 OVR QB.)
Difficulty: All-Pro (Level 3 of 4)
Game Style: Simulation
Game Length: 10 Minute Quarters, Accel Clock On
Head Coach: Billy Sakmann (Me)
Broncos Rating: 84 OVR, 84 Offense, 84 Defense
Personal Goal: 10 or more wins, qualify for playoffs
Madden Goal: Make Playoffs
Bo Nix: 3,000 passing yards, 25 Passing Touchdowns
Game Recap: Pat Surtain picked off Geno Smith’s second pass attempt of the afternoon, leading to a long Broncos touchdown drive. Rookie RB R.J. Harvey punched the ball in from the one-yard line on his first NFL carry, and Bo Nix was was 5-of-6 for 50 yards on the drive with a 13-yard scramble to boot.
The Broncos defense forced a quick three-and-out, but the ensuing offensive drive was stalled by Bo Nix’s first interception of the season, trying to force a big play on third and short.
But then the Broncos defense forced a “wounded duck” pass from Smith, allowing an easy interception in the middle of the field, giving the ball back to Denver on their own 47-yard line early in the second quarter.
Just a few plays later, R.J. Harvey splashed in his second career NFL touchdown from four yards out. 14-0 Broncos with 6:40 to play in the second quarter.
An aggressive Broncos defense got back-to-back sacks to stop any chance of the Raiders next drive from even starting.
R.J. Harvey and J.K. Dobbins helped the Broncos march down the field once again, and capped it off with Harvey’s third rushing touchdown of the afternoon: a hat trick. 21-0 Broncos, 1:51 to play in the first half.
To start the second half, Nix threw his second interception (lazy route from Evan Engram though?). This gave the Raiders a rare chance in Broncos territory, and Las Vegas responded with a field goal: 21-3 Broncos, 7:22 left in the third quarter.
Nix got his first touchdown pass of the season, a 3-yard strike to Evan Engram, to put the Broncos up 28-3 late in the third quarter.
Trying to get some passing numbers up, Nix threw his third pick of the day. The Raiders responded with a touchdown pass, cutting Denver’s lead to 28-10 with 8:14 left to play.
Nix brought it in himself (after a passing touchdown to Vele was called back to holding on Garrett Bolles) for the Broncos fifth touchdown of the day against the Raiders defense.
Jahdae Barron grabbed his first career interception, in his first game, in the fourth quarter.
In garbage time, Nix uncorked two huge passes to Sutton, then.. “fumbled” (looked like a forward pass to me.) Raiders responded with a garbage time touchdown pass, also inflating Geno Smith’s passing total (by 89 yards), which was abysmal to this point.
On the last play of the game, testing Nix’s super deep ball, I just missed Sutton in the endzone, and the Raiders finished the game with four interceptions and five takeaways, despite their big loss.
Broncos win 35-17, improve to 1-0
Bo Nix: 31-for-39, 349 yards, 1 TD, 4 INT, 6 rush, 44 yards, 1 TD
RJ Harvey: 16 rush, 83 yards, 3 TD
J.K. Dobbins: 15 rush, 78 yards, 5 rec, 40 yards
Evan Engram: 11 rec, 87 yards, TD
Courtland Sutton: 8 rec, 138 yards
CN Jahdae Barron: Hold Commanders to less than 200 passing yards or get Barron 1+ INT, FF, TFL, Sack
Game Recap: Broncos got the ball first, and Nix aired out a long interception on his first pass attempt, targeting Evan Engram.
The Commander settled for a field goal on a short field, and then the Broncos got a field goal of their own, 3-3, 4:08 to play in the first quarter.
17-16 Washington at halftime as Broncos settle for some field goals. Jahdae Barron gets his first career INT, leading to three points.
20-16 Washington, then Nix threw his second pick. But Broncos defense holds, with a tackle for a loss on a 4th-and-1 pitch play.
The Broncos offense couldn’t capitalize on the turnover on downs, and a long, grueling drive by the Commanders ended in a touchdown, giving Washington a 27-16 lead with 8:47 to play in the game.
Waking up, Nix and the Broncos offense engineered a quick, high-powered drive, ending with Nix hammering in a 10-yard touchdown run, fighting though contact to find the endzone. McLaughlin couldn’t punch in the two-point conversion despite briefly finding a hole. 27-22 Commanders with 5:42 to play.
On the ensuing play, Broncos defense strip-sacked Jayden Daniels, setting themselves up deep in Washington territory: their 12-yard line.
Somehow, Nix threw his third interception of the day, just trying to throw it away and avoid a sack.
The Broncos got the ball back again with 3:04 to play, and all three timeouts remaining. A HUGE pass to Engram, on a dime from Nix, really ignited the drive. Nix pulled out a huge third down run with no options open, and Dobbins punched the ball in a play later to put the Broncos on top. Audric Esteme got the two-point conversion run to put Denver up 30-27 with 0:29 left, but Washington still possessed all three timeouts.
On the first play of Washington’s drive, Jayden Daniels broke off a 10+ yard run: but left himself completely exposed for another strip, Broncos ball.
Broncos win 30-27, improve to 2-0
Bo Nix: 23-of-35, 227 yards, 0 TD, 3 INT, 5 rush, 37 yards, TD
JK Dobbins: 18 rush, 86 yards, 2 TD, 5 rec, 31 yards
Courtland Sutton: 7 rec, 76 yards
Forced Fumbles: Dre Greenlaw, Brandon Jones, Nik Bonnito
Fumble Recoveries: Brandon Jones, Levelle Bailey
INT: Jahdae Barron (earns Star Development Trait)
Game Recap: After missing a chance to stop the drive early, Tua connected with Jaylen Waddle for a huge 60-yard touchdown.
A surgical Broncos drive, mostly on the ground, ended with Nix punching it in on nifty read-option play.
The Dolphins responded with a long TD drive of their own. Denver punched right back, with Nix striking Vele from five yards out for the quarterback’s second passing touchdown of the season. 14-14 early in the second quarter, shootout brewing.
The Broncos then forced the game’s first punt. After a perfect 8-for-8 start to the game passing, Nix tossed a desperation INT on third down while already deep in field goal range for the Broncos.
Miami almost got a two-minute drill brewing, but were stopped inches short on third down and were forced to punt again. Denver got one first down before going three-and-out on their next three plays in their last-minute attempt.
The Broncos quickly found the endzone again in the second half, with Dobbins scoring a 1-yard rushing touchdown after setting himself up with a bigger run.
Halfuna got a INT, and Dobbins got another short touchdown, putting the Broncos up 28-14 midway through the third quarter.
But the Dolphins got the next two scores, knotting it up at 28-28 with 6:51 left to play.
Denver turned over on downs, and Miami re-took the lead, 35-28, with 3:56 left to play.
Broncos were driving and honing in, when McLaughlin fumbled the ball, and the Dolphins returned it for a touchdown…
Disaster struck twice as a Nix backwards pass hit the ground and was returned for another touchdown. 49-28, with Miami scoring 35 straight points.
Broncos lose 49-28, fall to 2-1
Nix: 19-for-29, 228 yards, Pass TD, INT, 5 rush, 43 yards, Rush TD
Dobbins: 23 rush, 123 yards, 2 TD
Sutton: 6 rec, 122 yards
Vele: 3 rec, 22 yards, TD
Game Recap: After trading punts, the Broncos got the game’s first score on an RJ Harvey touchdown, after a couple of nifty runs from Nix.
Caleb Williams had an ugly fumble in the open field, leading to another quick score: Harvey again, the rookie’s second of the day.
Another strip on Williams led to a one-play Broncos drive: can you guess the play call? That’s right, a third rushing touchdown from Harvey to make it 21-0.
Then, a Riley Moss INT lead to a 40-yard touchdown pass from Nix to Marvin Mims Jr.: it’s all Broncos now.
Later in the quarter, the Bears missed a long field goal, but the Broncos ran in to the kicker, extending the drive. The Bears later scored on a D’Andre Swift 1-yard run.
A Nix two-minute drill ended with a tipped INT to the Bears in the endzone, his 9th INT in four games.
In the second half, Harvey added two more touchdowns, bringing his total to five for the day and eight on the season. Caleb Williams’ sloppy play led to many defensive goodies for Denver, including sacks, interceptions, and forced fumbles.
Broncos win 45-24, improve to 3-1
Bo Nix: 13-of-26, 189 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT, 4 rush, 45 yards
CHI Caleb Williams: 24-for-34, 161 yards, 2 TD, 4 INT, 11 rush, 96 yards
RJ Harvey: 25 rush, 147 yards, 5 TD, 2 rec, 22 yards
Dobbins: 8 rush, 57 yards, 2 rec, 24 yards
Sutton: 4 rec, 53 yards (leading receiver once again)
Mims: 1 rec, 39 yards, TD
INT: Riley Moss, Pat Surtain II, Brandon Jones, Zach Allen!
Forced Fumbles: Alex Singleton, Dre Greenlaw
Fumble Recoveries: Brandon Jones, Dre Greenlaw
Sacks: John Franklin-Myers (3), Nick Bonitto (2) D.J. Jones (1)
Game Recap: The Jets struck first with a field goal on their opening drive, but Bo Nix and rising rookie running back R.J. Harvey led an easy touchdown drive, with Harvey getting his ninth touchdown of the season to make the score 7-3.
On the Jets next possession, running back Breece Hall broke multiple tackles to burst out for a 60-yard touchdown run, giving the Jets a 10-7 lead late in the first quarter.
Bo Nix answered with a short rushing touchdown of his own, but Harvey was shaken up on the drive.
The Jets took a 17-14 lead on another Hall TD, and then Nix threw a bone-headed third down interception with the second quarter winding down. New York took a 20-14 lead in to halftime as the Broncos didn’t try for a 51-yard field goal to end the half due to poor clock management.
Nix punched in another rushing touchdown from three yards out, and instead of going up by seven points, Denver went for the dagger and scored a two-point conversion on a fullback run, making the score 29-20 with 8:31 to play.
The Broncos failed to convert a fourth down near midfield, giving the Jets a chance to take the lead with a field goal. But on the next play, open field running Justin Fields finally fumbled.
With a minute left, Nix fumbled in the red zone while attempting to slide. The Jets took possession but had already exhausted all three timeouts.
After a big pass put New York in field goal range, the Broncos got another strip, and Jahdae Barron recovered the game-securing fumble… until Nix threw a pick when kneeling was the clear option. The Jets missed a 50-yard field goal to end the game.
Broncos win 29-17, improve to 4-1
Nix: 18-for-29, 135 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT, 14 rush, 154 yards, 2 TD, 1 Fumble
Harvey: 14 rush, 91 yards, TD
Dobbins: 10 rush, 49 yards
Engram: 5 rec, 40 yards
Trautman: 3 rec, 20 yards, TD
Bo Nix has 4 Pass TD and 12 INT through four games… and the Broncos are 4-1
Note: Winner takes first place in AFC West (if Denver wins, they will hold the head-to-head tiebreaker for the time being)
Opening drive interception for Bo Nix, trying to hit Courtland Sutton deep one-on-one.
The Chiefs converted a fourth-and-one, and then later, the Broncos stopped them on third-and-goal from the five, but a roughing the passer call set up a Patrick Mahomes to Travis Kelce one-yard touchdown, 7-0 Chiefs with 6:17 to play in the first.
Speedy Rashee Rice burned All-Pro Pat Surtain II for a 65-yard, 1-play touchdown, and in the blink of an eye, it’s 14-0 Chiefs.
Buckling down, the Broncos mostly ground-and-pounded down the field for a touchdown: a gassed Bo Nix carried it in himself from seven yards out. 14-7 Chiefs with 1:06 to play in the first.
The Chiefs gained 30 yards via penalty on the next drive: roughing the passer and facemask penalties were called on Denver. The Chiefs banged it in with a 2-yard Pacheco TD run. 21-7 Chiefs early in the second.
The Broncos pounded down the field again, on an 11-play drive, this time with Nix finding Vele for an 11-yard touchdown. 21-14 Chiefs 4:46 to go in the second quarter,
Kansas City added their fourth touchdown of the game, and Denver could only return a field goal within the restraints of the two-minute drill. 28-17 Chiefs at halftime.
Broncos got a quick stop then cooked on offense… until Nix threw an interception on first-and-goal from the one-yard line.
Quickly, it became 35-17 Chiefs on Mahomes’ fourth touchdown pass of the evening.
Nix led a 15-play touchdown drive to cut the score to 35-24 with 9:38 left to play. But a surgical Chiefs drive extended their lead once again, making it 42-24 as Kansas City marched towards a 6-0 start.
A turnover on downs and fumble later, and the Chiefs blew open a 56-24 lead on Mahomes’ sixth and seventh passing touchdowns.
Chiefs win 56-32, Broncos fall to 4-2
Nix: 21-of-36, 223 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT, 13 rush, 93 yards, 1 TD, 1 Fumble
Dobbins: 16 rush, 88 yards
Harvey: 15 rush, 72 yards
Vele: 7 rec, 111 yards, TD
Trautman: 5 rec, 51 yards, TD
Chiefs
Rashee Rice: 11 rec, 193 yards, 5 TD
Patrick Mahomes: 310 yards, 7 TD, 0 INT
Courtland Sutton is a solid receiver, but he hasn’t been able to carry the passing corps. Vele has been improving, Mims Jr. has the talent but has been covered, and Troy Franklin and Sherfield Sr.. have been non-existent.
Broncos called the Dolphins to talk about Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, and Odell Beckham Jr., but a third round pick wasn’t enough to get conversations started.
Instead, Denver is signing WR A.T. Perry, a rookie, off the Buccaneers practice squad. Perry joins on a 1-year, $2.65 million deal, is only 23 years old, and is rated 72 overall: oh, and he’s even on the Broncos now in real life.
Nix tried cooking with Marvin Mims Jr. early, but after a drop, threw an interception targeting Sutton over the middle: another opening drive INT. Two plays later, Packers touchdown, 7-0.
Nix’s next pass was another risky one, picked off, and brought back to the one-yard line. One play later, 14-0 Packers.
Another third down drop killed a once-promising Broncos revenge drive. Denver downed their punt at the 1-yard line, but Green Bay still mustered a field goal out of their drive, 17-0 Packers in the first.
The Broncos really got a drive going, everything was working… until Nix threw a pick six. 24-0 Packers on the first play of the second quarter.
Denver finally answered with a quick scoring drive, with Harvey scoring his 10th rushing touchdown of the season. The Broncos went for two and got it on a Dobbins run, 24-8 Packers.
Some strong user defense created a tipped interception for the Broncos! But Nix returned the favor, gifting the Packers another pick six.. 31-8 Packers.
The Broncos got another touchdown, with Courtland Sutton diving for the endzone, and Harvey providing the two-pointer. 31-16 Packers with 0:59 to play in the first.
To start the second half, Love and Jacobs carved the Broncos defense, but couldn’t punch it in the end zone: 34-16 Packers.
Nix’s fifth interception (a fourth down quick hitter) all but sealed the game late in the third.
A Dobbins TD + FB Adkins two-point run made it 34-24 with 6:48 to play. Packers answered with a long TD drive to take a 41-24 lead.
Nix’s sixth pick, returned for a touchdown, officially officially sealed the deal. He did throw a seventh, and another pick six, in garbage time.
Broncos lose 55-24, fall to 4-3
Nix: 30-for-44, 277 yards, 1 TD, 7 INT, 10 rush, 77 yards
Dobbins: 9 rush, 19 yards, TD
Harvey: 7 rush, 27 yards, TD, 4 rec, 27 yards
Sutton: 7 rec, 105 yards, 1 TD
Vele: 6 rec, 63 yards
Mims Jr.: 5 rec, 35 yards
The Broncos defense got an opening drive stop on Mahomes’ Chiefs offense, which feels rare after last game. The Broncos punted shortly after, but the defense was still cooking: until two Broncos defenders collided, allowing a 80-yard reception for Xavier Worthy. Broncos defense held strong from the 3-yard line and forced a field goal.
The Broncos found the endzone with R.J. Harvey’s 11th rushing touchdown of the season to take a 7-3 lead with 0:56 to play in the first quarter.
The Chiefs were driving, when #25 forced as fumble and Jahdae Barron recovered it in the redzone.
The Broncos and Chiefs traded punts, with Denver’s defense strip-sacking Mahomes on third down. While the Chiefs would recover, Denver’s defense was heating up.
Denver punted again, but then got another coverage sack on third down to get the ball back.
Within the two-minute warning, Harvey scored his 12th touchdown of the season. Worth noting, the rookie record is 18 (Eric Dickerson, 1983).
But wait, there’s more! The Broncos defense snuffed out a quick throw to Travis Kelce, forcing him to fumble, recovered by Greenlaw. Nix found Vele just before halftime, to give the Broncos an unlikely 21-3 halftime lead over the 7-0 Chiefs.
The Broncos opened the second half with a 44-yard passing touchdown from Nix to Mims: 28-3 Broncos!
The Chiefs answered with a field goal mid-way through the third quarter. R.J. Harvey answered back with a receiving touchdown, to make it 35-6.
Looking for a garbage TD from the one-yard line, Nix coughed up a fumble that the Chiefs returned for six. 35-13 Broncos with 3:05 to play, but a swing in dignity. Pat Surtain II earned it back with a late INT.
Broncos win 35-13, improve to 5-3.
Nix: 28-for-37, 307 yards, 3 TD, 0 INT, 4 rush, 53 yards (2 fumbles lost)
Harvey: 27 rush, 117 yards, 2 TD, 5 rec, 32 yards, TD
Dobbins: 9 rush, 46 yards
Mims Jr.: 5 rec, 102 yards, TD
Vele: 5 rec, 47 yards, TD
Trautman: 5 rec, 52 yards.
Three 500-yard rushers so far (Harvey, Dobbins, Nix)
AFC West Standings:
Chiefs 8-1
Broncos 5-3
Chargers 3-5
Raiders 1-7
Sakmann News, Entertainment and Sports 